Trumpington War Memorial
A Portland stone cross by Eric Gill, unveiled in 1921 in the centre of Trumpington village.
In the heart of Trumpington village, on the southern edge of Cambridge, stands a stone cross by Eric Gill. Unveiled in 1921, it gained Grade II* listing in 1999. The spot, where the High Street meets Church Lane, was once known as Cross Hill. Because it is a monument in the open street, you can look at it at any hour for nothing.
How it came about
The parish council's sub-committee began talking in May 1919. A garden with tennis courts was weighed up against an obelisk or a clock tower, but a cross won. The money came from public subscription among villagers, and the Pemberton family added 200 pounds. Gill got the job partly because he had already lettered a Pemberton memorial inside the village church.
While the foundations were being dug, workmen turned up a big Barnack stone with a socket, inscribed for John Stockton and his wife Agnes. It is thought to have supported an earlier wooden wayside cross in the 13th century, and the church now preserves it.
The carving
Built of Portland stone, the Latin cross is about 4.4 metres high and rises from a plinth and three steps. On the shaft, the Virgin Mary looks west and St Michael, fighting a dragon, looks north. St George faces east, and the south side shows a weary soldier after a design by David Jones. Above these, oval panels name the 36 village men lost in the First World War.
The plinth's east side, facing the High Street, gives the dates 1914 and 1918 with a dedication to the men of Trumpington. Eight names from the Second World War were added to the south side later, and the west side bears the words "For liberty and justice".
Practical notes
Once the cross stood in the road towards Grantchester, with traffic going round both sides. It now has a paved area to itself, with the road running along its south side.